Swiggy Instamart has become a leader in India’s fast-growing quick commerce sector, having a median delivery time of just 8 minutes across the top four Indian cities, according to a recent report from JPMorgan. This performance places the delivery arm of Swiggy ahead of its rivals, including Blinkit, Zepto, BB Now, and Flipkart Minutes, setting a new benchmark for speed in the industry. 

Swiggy Instamart’s delivery speed was only two minutes beyond its own target of six minutes, underscoring its efficiency in meeting customer expectations. In comparison, Zepto, the second-fastest competitor, recorded a median delivery time of 9 minutes, which was 4 minutes longer than its promised 5-minute window. Despite its promise of an 8-minute delivery window, Blinkit, traditionally regarded as a leader in quick commerce, recorded a median delivery time of 11 minutes, falling behind its competitors. 

JPMorgan’s report also highlighted Swiggy Instamart’s consistent performance in meeting delivery timelines, with a minimal variance of just two minutes between its target and actual delivery times. For comparison, Blinkit had a variation of 3 minutes and Zepto had a variation of 4 minutes. This further puts Swiggy at the helm of the pace-setter in the sector. 

Other players in the market, such as Tata’s BB Now, met their promised delivery times of 11 minutes but performed slower than Swiggy Instamart. Flipkart Minutes, the newest entrant in the market, recorded the slowest median delivery time at 15 minutes, although it met its own promise of 14 minutes. However, Flipkart Minutes is still in the early stages of scaling and is expected to improve as it expands. 

The Indian government had previously called for more transparency in the sector, urging companies to substantiate their claims of rapid delivery times. While a buffer of 4 minutes was allowed, companies exceeding the 10-minute threshold were required to adjust their messaging. All companies, except Flipkart Minutes, adhered to this 14-minute limit. 

The fast commerce sector continues to grow with companies adding beyond grocery products to its portfolios including apparel and eyewear. The sector, which in four years grew to be a $5.5 to $6 billion industry, does not seem to have slowed down with competition on the rise.